District 5 Diary

Rob Anderson's commentary on San Francisco politics from District 5

Monday, September 28, 2015

Mayor Lee, the Bicycle Coalition, and the Idaho Stop

Good for Mayor Lee for threatening to veto the Idaho Stop ordinance. Maybe he understands that, like his predecessor, Mayor Newsom, nothing he does for the bike lobby will ever be enough. Newsom gave them everything they asked for, and they still treated him with contempt (see this and this).

Despite this clear mandate from the electorate — Prop A passed with over 70 percent of the vote — Mayor Lee has not kept pace with the massive public demand for safer streets. We appreciate several initiatives the Mayor has spearheaded, including his support for the City’s Vision Zero goals and expansion of bike share, but it was clear from our member vote on this year’s mayoral endorsement that our members remain concerned that supporting biking is an afterthought in the current administration. We believe this can change over the next four years and will work with the current Mayor, if he is re-elected, to build a legacy of safe streets for people to enjoy across San Francisco.

Of course Mayor Lee supported Proposition A---for him it was the most important thing on last November's ballot---as did the Board of Supervisors, which voted unanimously to put it on the ballot.

How exactly has the mayor, who has given the bike lobby everything it asked for, treated "biking as an afterthought"? You won't get a sensible answer to that from the lobbyists at that special interest group.

No, the lack of endorsement was because the mayor didn't automatically support whatever the Bicycle Coalition wanted, like his ending Sunday parking meters.Later: Streetsblog confirms my interpretation by attacking the mayor as an "obstructionist" on traffic safety in the city!